Chapter 79: The Clean up of the Wreck of the Midnight Express [Conversation translated from Spanish] Upstairs, Rosita and Rachel both sleep with Fernando, scared that this might be his last night, scared that the damaged done was too great for him to handle. But for him it was minor though the headache was something least to be desired. Not a sound came from the basement, even though a couple of the girls wanted to come upstairs to see what could be done. Now the whole group has to deal with failure, failure on their part to convince a family member to help another. It was too quick and too soon. Now they are being told to leave by the very people they tried to seek help from. 6AM. Rachel and Rosita get up as they usually do, and get washed up and dressed together. They go to the top of the stairs to look down where Grandmother was making a large breakfast meal for everyone in the kitchen. They quietly walk back to their room to check on their brother. Fernando has been in better shape than this before, as he has been in worst shape as well. All he wanted was the 6:05 to New York Express to stop using his head as a railroad track. The girls downstairs got ready as they packed up their things, as they got dressed. They were walking up the stairs from the basement with their bags in hand, setting them by the door. Their father, Jose Antonio Gutierez was snoring on the couch he fell asleep on. None of the girls dared wake him. Grandmother saw that something was not right. In her mind why would the girls have their things packed up as if to leave? She would wait while they were eating to ask any questions. 7:30AM. Fernando wakes up but does not want too, his two loving sisters on the bed bedside him. “You feeling better?” Rosita asks. “Whether or not I am I have to be.” Fernando tells her. He tries to sit up but in his head the room was spinning around. He closes his eyes for a moment. Rachel takes his glasses from the nightstand and puts them on his face. As much as he did not want too, they help him get showered up and dressed for the day. By 7:45, they were at the top step sitting down on it and looking down at the others. 7:50 comes with Jorgina-Daisy running out of her room and down the stairs fully dressed for a new day. But she stops at the bottom of the staircase and looks up at Fernando, Rachel and Rosita, and then at the girls in the living room. More disturbing is the girls getting up and getting their things, Alejandra having taken the keys from her dad’s pocket to the extended mini-van which they arrived in, and all leave the house with most of them noticing the three on the top step. They gather outside of the house for a moment, looking and talking to them selves. “Now what?” Lareina almost demands. “We pack out things in the mini-van and leave.” Alejandra explains. “Just like that?” Lareina asks. “Yes. Just like that.” Alejandra answers before walking to the mini-van. Opening the doors she throws her stuff in on her front passenger seat. The others look at her as if she was crazy in what she was doing. It takes them a while to follow her lead. Rachel and Rosita helps Fernando get up and make their way to the dining table. Grandmother put their breakfast plates on the table for them to have. Jose Antonio wakes up from his sleep, wishing that the 8AM to Poucefield would just leave. He sits up on the couch and looks around. “Welcome to the world of the living.” Grandmother tells him as she hands him a cup of coffee. Jose just growls at her before taking that first sip to bring him to furmanity. “Give his food so he will be leaving soon.” Fernando tells her. “Explain yourself, Fernando.” Grandmother tells him in an annoyed tone. “You know why he’s here?” Fernando asks. “Because he is sick and needs help with his girls – who are all your sisters through him.” Grandmother tells him. “He has plans to kidnap me and force me to give up parts of my body so he can live.” Fernando tells her. “Who told you that?” Grandmother asks. “They did – the girls told us that.” Fernando tells her. “Us, as in...?” Grandmother asks. “Rachel, Fernando and I.” Rosita answers in an angry tone. “When?” Grandmother asks. “Around midnight, some of them were sneaking about the house and came into our room an woke us up and one of them let it out. We confronted the others downstairs and they all told us of it.” Rachel adds. “We told them to leave in the morning, they are not welcomed here if they intend to harm Fernando.” Rosita throws in. “Jose, You have a lot of explaining to do.” Grandmother tells him. “What is there to explain?” Jose replies with a question and adds, “A desperate man would take desperate measures to ensure that his life remains as his own.” “Not at the cost of his children, he does not. There is a time to live and a time to die, and in doing one has to be prepared for what happens of the two. You almost had me fooled there for a moment. I suppose I will not be taking care of those girls.” Grandmother says to him. “No matter what happens to me, I still want the girls under your care because you know what to do as a parent, guardian and teacher. You will be generous compensated in my absence.” Jose tells them “And the house?” Grandmother asks. “If you want it to be expanded, I can get it done whether or not we stay.” Joe tells her. “Jorgina-Daisy – hurry up and eat and then tell those girls to get their things and wait by the door.” Grandmother tells her. Jorgina-Daisy has nothing else to say other than finish her food and then leave, where she finds the girls by the extended mini-van. She tells them what Grandmother told her to tell them. In the house, Grandmother looks at Jose and then at Fernando. “I am the owner and ruler of this house. If anyone is being kicked out of this house, I will be kicking them out and not you. Understand that Fernando?” Grandmother tells him. Fernando just nods. She continues, “I understand the situation, and I will deal with it. Not you or anyone else. As for you, Jose, any harm befalls on this boy or his sisters because you need a transplant or some other evil scheme, when I find you, you will not live long enough to see the next day’s sunrise. Do you understand what I am telling you?” “Yes Madam.” Jose answers. “Now. You will be taking the girls to St LoveJoy’s school to register them, I will be with you all and when its time to take you to the hospital, we will take you there and I will take the girls home. Now get your girls ready.” Grandmother tells him. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - End of Chapter 79 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -